Officers apprehend a suspect in the background; busker seamlessly performs Queen's iconic solo, maintaining pitch and rhythm.
Revamped Article:
One tough challenge in street performance is dealing with distractions, and Buenos Aires electric guitar virtuoso Andryel Jung learned that the hard way recently. As he delivered his electric rendition of Queen's We Are The Champions solo, a rowdy scuffle between cops and a suspect broke out mere meters from his spot. But inconvenient as it was, the irony of the situation was far from lost on us.
Jung, a 256K Instagram follower sensation, usually takes to the streets with his Fender Stratocaster or PRS. In this memorable performance, he was sporting the latter. As the drama unfolds behind him, he nonchalantly turns to take it all in, even gesturing towards the pandemonium mid-guitar solo amidst the cheering crowd. Impressively, he never once misses a note.
The chaos begins with the sound of police before they're even seen. Jung's performance takes on a showman's flair as he delivers Brian May's iconic solo with flair, only for the camera to pan out just in time to reveal an officer pinning a suspect to the ground. A wave of officers soon rush in, but Jung keeps his cool, remaining focused on his performance.
Finally, after a masterful but brief final flourish, he turns once more to the scene behind him, surrounded by and applause. "The cops saved the show," the caption reads. The incident took place on George Street in Sydney, where Jung is a regular performer. Online comments ranged from "You made the arrest epic" to suggestions that he play Queen's Another One Bites the Dust next time[2].
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Jung's tussle with the song was considerably more literal, and it's made for social media gold. In an interesting twist, a radio station in London has spearheaded a campaign to ban "nuisance" street musicians from performing at one of the city's popular tourist destinations[1].
Brian May himself weighed in on the buzz surrounding Jung's rendition of the 1977 hit, revealing that his spontaneous licks "were never discussed". "What was on the table," May remarked, "was that Freddie wanted the guitar to engage in a battle with the vocals at the end. It's an unusual story. I'd already completed the rhythm part for that, and sort of forgotten about it. Surprise came when it was time to mix it, and I suddenly realized there wasn't any lead guitar on there. So I revisited the studio and basically re-did the whole guitar part because I had a clearer vision in my head. Freddie walked in and said, 'I like what you've done with the guitar at the end. I want to ensure that the guitar fights with the vocals at every point at the end. It should be a battle!'"[1]
All things considered, Jung's battle experience with the hit song was a memorable one, and it's made for a captivating video clip.
[1] Enrichment Data (https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/guitarist-andryel-jung-plays-to-a-police-arrest-in-memorable-busking-video-3802629)[2] Enrichment Data (https://www.celebmix.com/guitarist-andryel-jung-fights-off-distractions-busking-in-the-middle-of-a-police-arrest-video/)
- Andryel Jung, known for his PRS electric guitar, faced an unexpected distraction during a street performance when a police scuffle took place nearby.
- Despite the chaos, the general-news event added an interesting twist to Jung's performance on George Street in Sydney, where he is a regular entertainer.
- The iconic Stratocaster guitar, also part of Jung's repertoire, could have been a better fit for his questionable tussle with the popular Queen song, "We Are The Champions."
- In an ironic turn of events, a radio station in London has launched a campaign to ban street musicians, including the distinctive sound of electric guitars, from performing at one of the city's tourist destinations, mirroring the general-news issue surrounding Jung's performance.
- The criminals and justice system seemed to take a backseat for a moment, as the music community rallied around Andryel Jung following his entertaining take on the Queen hit, even suggesting he play "Another One Bites the Dust" in the future.
